Railway-crossing gate



3 sheets-sheet 1.

(No Model.)

M. I. RIGG IN. RAILWAY UROSSING GATE.

Patented Jan. 14, 1890.,

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. I. RIGGIN, RAILWAY GROsSING GATE. No; 419,612. Patented Jan. 14-.1890.

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' M. I. RIGGIN.

RAILWAY CROSSING GATE.

N0. 419,612. Patented Jan. 14.1890,

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BY ATTYSA "UNITED STATES 'PATENT- OFFICE.

MARY ISABELLE RIGGIN, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY RAILWAY-CROSSING GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 419,612, dated January 14, 1890.

Application filed September 16, 1889. Serial No. 324,044. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, MARY ISABELLE RIGGIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railway-Crossin g Gates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to secure a more positive and uniform action in railwaygates than has heretofore been obtained, and to overcome or obviate certain objections inherent in gates of a somewhat similar character heretofore in use.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, andin the combination and arrangement of the several parts of the gate, as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in three sheets, Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a front elevation of a railway-gate embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken through lineX of the same; and Fig. 3 indicates a signal-gong, &c., to be attached to one of the posts G and rung'automatically by mechanism R, attached to the shaft R, when the gate is being lowered, as will be understood. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, represents an end elevation showing my improvements; and Fig. 5 is a detail view. Fig. 6, Sheet 3, is a plan View.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.

Referring to said drawings,Aindicates the gates; B and B, cables which connect the gates with counter or balance weight 0 and C; and D and D are chain belts connecting with sprocket wheels or pulleys E and E, which are operated by means of cranks F to raise and lower the gates.

G indicates the posts which contain the bearings, 850., for the shafting or journals of the pulleys and the ways in which the gates slide.

H is a shaft carrying gears by which the elevating mechanism at the opposite sides of the track is operated.

In carrying out my invention I employ, preferably, a skeleton gate A, substantially such as shown, which I connect at one end with counter or balance weights 0, located on the outer side of the posts G by means of cables B, which connect with the gate at one end at opposite sides of its top bar, from thence passing over pulleys P, down round pulleys 0, Figs. 4 and 5, fromwhich the weights 0 are suspended, and back over the same pulleys P, from which they pass to pulleys P at the opposite side of the road, and then connect with the other end of the gate, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 6. The said opposite end of the gate is also connected with balance-weights 0, located on the inner sides of the posts G by means of shorter cables B, which are secured to said weights 0 and pass over the pulleys P, located immediately above said opposite end of the gate, and are connected with the gate beneath said pulleys, as shown.

The combined weight of the four balanceweights is or should be equal or about equal to that of the gate; but the balance-weights themselves are not equal in weight with one another, the two weights 0 being very much heavier than the two weights 0, the object of the latter being to compensate for or to overcome the increased friction occasioned by the pulleys P, and thereby secure a perfect balance. The amount of friction, therefore, resulting from said pulleys P will determine the heft of said weights 0, as will be understood. The wheels or pulleys P and P, upon which said cables B and B work, are in practice four feetin diameter, and are placed lll-' side the posts at the top. At the ends of the shafts upon which said pulleys are keyed is a sprocket-wheel E, two feet in diameter, connected by a link or chain belt D to a seveninch sprocket-wheel E, secured to and near the bottom of one of the posts, which is operated by a crank F, either single or double, to raise and lower the gate. Said seven-inch or lower sprocket-wheel E revolves with sh aft E, which also carries sprocket-wheel E the latter being connected by belting D with sprocket-wheel E rigidly secured on an incased shaft H, running across and underneath the track-rails and carrying upon its other end sprocket-wheel E which connects by a belt B with sprocket-wheel E at the top of the post G, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 6,by means of which the power is communicated to the liftingbelts at both ends of the gate simultaneously and uniformly, as will be obvious. It desired, the shafts or journals may be set upon anti-friction rollers to make them Work easily, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 4.

The pulleys and weights are all designed to V be housed or inclosed to keep them from being obstructed in the'winter season by snow and ice.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- The combination, with a railway-gate, its

supporting-posts and hoisting mechanisms, substantially as described, of the pulleys P and P, cables B and B, and weights 0 and C, said cables B being connected to the gate at each end, respectively, passing over the pulleys at each end and connected to said weights 0, as described, and said cables B being connected to the gate at one end, pass- ,ing over the pulleys P immediately above said weights, and connecting with the weights 0, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of August, 1889.

MARY ISABELLE RIGGIN.

\Vitnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE," OSCAR A. M onnn. 

